


fools rush in

by iwasfollowingyou



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Coffee, College, First Meetings, Flirting, Hook-Up, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Canon, Sharing Clothes, That turns into more, and i couldnt love him more, because of course it does it's sam and josh, because there's no proof it DIDNT happen, but neither does sam clearly, josh doesn't know how to one night stand, sam is an overconfident little shit, they're cute idiots, this isn't really an au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 13:37:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18966325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasfollowingyou/pseuds/iwasfollowingyou
Summary: “I’m Sam.”“Alright, Sam.” Josh pulled his hand back.Sam raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “Do you have a name?”Josh rolled his eyes. “It’s Josh. Not that it matters.”“Nice to meet you, Josh.”





	fools rush in

**Author's Note:**

> for your consideration: the [pictures](https://twitter.com/samuelseaborn/status/1132449380915732481) i had in mind of young samjosh while writing this

Something about dreary northeast weather evoked in Josh a sense of nostalgia. While other people hurried past him, umbrellas at the ready or coat collars turned up, he settled into a more leisurely pace. It was overcast, but not raining or snowing, not yet. The combination of clouds and a cool breeze was enough to warrant a sweatshirt, but in Josh’s case, not a coat. He was adapted to Connecticut winters — he should have been, considering he had spent his entire life either there or nearby in Massachusetts.

The stack of books in his arms was pressing uncomfortably against his chest, but it wasn’t that much farther to the library, and he couldn’t be bothered to shove everything into his backpack. With any luck, his favored spot in the corner by the window would be open, and he could set up shop and get to work on the multiple essays he had due in the upcoming weeks.

He caught only a brief flash of someone in front of him before there was a body careening into him, and his books went tumbling to the ground, loose papers falling out of his folder and scattering. He muttered under his breath as he quickly crouched down to pick everything up before the papers were lost to the wind.

“Shit, my bad.” The guy who had hit him bent over to grab the last of Josh’s notebooks, holding it out towards him. Josh shoved his papers back into the folder, then snatched the notebook out of the stranger’s hand.

“Yeah, it wa—” The words were snatched out of Josh’s mouth as he looked up. The guy was looking at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised just slightly. He had bright, unfairly pretty blue eyes that felt like they were staring directly into Josh’s soul, and soft looking, slightly shaggy brown hair that seemed as if it wasn’t used to being unstyled, strands flopping into his eyes. He brushed them out of the way, but they didn’t want to stay put. Josh swallowed dryly. “It’s fine. I wasn’t — I wasn’t looking, either.”

As they straightened up, Josh realized that his assailant’s gray sweatshirt had PRINCETON emblazoned across the front in obnoxiously orange letters. Josh managed to hold back a groan, but he couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. He swung his backpack around in front of him and shoved the books into it, the way they should have been from the beginning, but of course he had naively thought that he could make it across campus while holding them in his arms.

Princeton didn’t move. Josh looked back up at him. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, I…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Nah.”

“Okay, well, I was on my way somewhere, so I’m just gonna…” Josh stepped around the guy, but he held out a hand, tilting his head slightly. Josh narrowed his eyes, reaching out hesitantly to shake hands.

“I’m Sam.”

“Alright, Sam.” Josh pulled his hand back.

Sam raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “Do you have a name?”

Josh rolled his eyes. “It’s Josh. Not that it matters.”

“Nice to meet you, Josh.”

“Uh-huh.” Josh looked him over again. Peeking out from under the collar of his sweatshirt was a black t-shirt, and he was wearing plain blue jeans that hugged his legs surprisingly nicely. He met Sam’s eyes again, narrowing his own gaze. “What’s a nerd from Princeton doing here?”

Sam crossed his arms, resting them just underneath the letters across his chest. “Rich calling me a nerd when you go to Yale, buddy. And I’m here for the football game.”

Josh furrowed his eyebrows in confusion for a moment before it clicked. Right. Football. That was a thing that was happening. It wasn’t that he didn’t _care_ about football — he liked it just fine — but he had gotten his fill of college football when he was an undergrad. He would go to the games every once in a while, but overall, it just wasn’t his kind of environment.

“You drove all the way up here for a game?” he asked.

“It’s only like a three-hour drive.” Sam shrugged. “And I like football.”

“You did it by yourself?”

“No. I came with friends.”

“So, where are they?” Josh looked around for anyone else in Princeton gear (then again, maybe only Sam was ballsy enough to wear the merchandise before entering the game). “You’re kinda far from the stadium, you know.

A small smirk played at Sam’s lips. “Maybe I got lost.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Josh huffed. “Look, I really should get going.”

“You’re going to the library on a Saturday?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s when it’s emptiest.”

Sam shook his head, shifting his weight back and forth between his legs. “You know, I might enjoy a tour of campus.”

“Good luck finding a tour guide.” Josh went to walk past him again, but Sam stepped in front of him. Josh rolled his eyes. Clearly this guy didn’t understand how to read social cues. “What?”

“You don’t want to be my tour guide?”

“Not particularly.”

“Come on.” He pouted dramatically, fluttering his eyelashes. Josh remained unamused.

“You could be a murderer.”

“I go to Princeton.”

“There are murderers that went to Princeton.”

“Name one.”

Josh glared. “Fine, whatever. You really wanna see campus, fine.” He checked his watch. “I’ll give you half an hour.”

Sam grinned then, and Josh was momentarily blown away by how nice his smile was. It was one of those smiles that came from the eyes as much as the mouth. Josh pulled the sleeves of his sweatshirt farther down his wrists, then fidgeted with his watch.

“On one condition.”

“What?”

“Take the sweatshirt off.” He nodded to the letters on Sam’s chest. “I’m not gonna get caught walking around here with the enemy.”

It wasn’t that he was particularly passionate about the Princeton-Yale rivalry; as an attendee of two different Ivy League schools, he didn’t really care all that much about the competition in general. But he didn’t want any of his buddies to see him wandering campus with a guy in a Princeton sweatshirt. Plus, he wasn’t a fan of the idea of having to testify in court if Sam got jumped.

“It’s cold,” Sam almost whined.

“Tough shit.”

Josh crossed his arms and looked at Sam expectantly. Sam sighed and tugged the sweatshirt over his head. The t-shirt underneath rode up a little bit in the process, revealing smooth, tan skin and a toned stomach. Josh forced his eyes away, glaring at a tree while Sam fixed his shirt. He folded the sweatshirt in half and draped it over his arm.

“There. Happy?”

“Mmhmm.”

Josh started walking again. Sam hurried a few steps to match his pace. Josh stubbornly kept his eyes forward, all but ignoring Sam’s presence. Sam looked back and forth between the buildings and the trees. They were at the stage of autumn when the leaves had turned almost completely, but most still held onto the branches for dear life as they were rattled by the wind. The same wind threatened to cut through Josh’s clothes, and he was grateful for the sweatshirt he had thought to put on that morning. Unfortunately for Sam, the thin t-shirt he was left in didn’t seem to be doing much to insulate. Josh could see him shivering out of the corner of his eye.

“You know, usually tours involve talking,” Sam pointed out eventually.

Josh cleared his throat and pointed to the building they were passing. “That’s a building. It’s very old.” He pointed to the one on the other side of the sidewalk. “That’s another building. It’s also very old.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “You’re a shitty tour guide.”

“You signed up for it, not me.”

“What’s your major?”

“I’m not an undergrad.”

Sam stopped. Josh kept walking, so Sam quickly resumed his pace. “You’re not?”

“Do I look like an undergrad?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, kind of.” Sam shrugged. “You don’t _not_ look like one. You’re not… I don’t know.”

“That Princeton education is really doing you a favor, huh?”

“What are you, then? Med school?” Josh shook his head. “Master’s?” He shook his head again. “Law?”

“There we go.”

“Huh,” Sam said.

Josh glanced at him. “What?”

“I’m planning on going into law.”

 _Wonderful._ Josh just loved the idea of ending up in one of the same classes or practices as someone like this. Not that the chances were all that good, considering how many law schools and law firms existed, but he knew Sam’s type, and he had met a few too many throughout his years of education.

After getting no response from Josh, Sam spoke up again. “Where’d you get your bachelor’s, then?”

“Harvard.”

Sam whistled. “Damn, Ivy League.”

“You go to Princeton.” He made sure the bitterness was evident in the last word. “Besides, Harvard was a thousand times better than that dump.” Whether he actually cared about the rivalries or not, he couldn’t resist getting in at least one dig.

“Careful, don’t want your bulldog buddies to hear you saying that. Almost as bad as me wearing his sweatshirt.” He lifted it up. “Speaking of which, I’m fucking freezing. I’m putting it back on.”

“Suit yourself.” Josh shrugged. “I’m not jumping in to save you if someone punches you, though.”

“I think I can manage. I did karate.”

He smiled slightly at the image of Sam in karate get-up. He wondered whether Sam had actually been good at it, or if he had been one of those kids that started and quit after two weeks because it was too hard. Sam glanced over at him, and he quickly wiped the smile off his face, quirking an eyebrow and doing his best to look disinterested instead.

Josh actually stopped to let Sam take a moment to pull the sweatshirt back on over his head. He tugged at the bottom to fix where the fabric was bunched around his waist. Putting the sweatshirt on had turned his hair into more of a mess, strands flopping out of place and over his forehead. He huffed in annoyance as he brushed them out of his face. Josh, much to his dismay, felt his heart skip. He cursed silently at himself. He wasn’t going to get the hots for a Princeton undergrad, of all people.

_You just haven’t gotten laid in too long. Don’t fall for the trap._

Sam glanced up, and Josh’s cheeks flushed as he was caught staring. Sam raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

“Nope.” Josh quickly looked away. Sam laughed quietly. “Are you done bothering me yet?”

“Nah.”

Josh checked his watch. “Don’t you have a game to get to?”

“Are you going?”

“Put that Ivy League education to good use, Sam. I was on my way to the library, I’m not even wearing any school logos, I literally didn’t even remember that there was a game today…”

“Okay, okay, yeah. You’re not going.” Sam rolled his eyes, but there was little malice behind it. Josh felt himself smile, just a tiny bit. “So, what are you doing instead?”

“I _was_ going to the library,” Josh said again, making sure to emphasize it. A rush of pride hit his chest as he noticed Sam’s cheeks go slightly pink. “Put then I got sidetracked by this annoying asshole from Princeton.”

Sam looked around. “There’s an annoying asshole from Princeton around? Where? Maybe I know him.”

Josh huffed out an annoyed laugh, and Sam flashed a smile. Josh adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. Sam was still looking at him. He shifted his weight back and forth, suddenly feeling awkward under Sam’s gaze. His stupid pretty blue eyes were unfairly bright, especially with the overcast sky. Josh thought for a moment that maybe the blue of the sky had been used to paint Sam’s eyes. Then he mentally slapped himself for thinking something so stupid.

He glanced back over his shoulder. He could see the library from where they were standing; it would be ridiculously easy to just leave Sam there and go try to get some work done. Sam didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave. He was standing and watching Josh as if he were waiting for something. Josh had no idea what he was hoping to get out of this. He couldn’t think of what in the world Sam was hoping to achieve by annoying the shit out of Josh. Josh wasn’t in the mood to keep dragging him around campus, either. He wished Sam would either leave him alone or admit what he was actually trying to do.

Sam still didn’t say anything. He bit his bottom lip, looking Josh up and down, and Josh felt his face flush. Before he could stop it, his mind started to slip down a path towards unholy thoughts, driven by Sam’s slight smirk and the way he kept pushing his hair out of his eyes. The fact that Sam was objectively gorgeous was infuriating; Josh wanted to want absolutely nothing to do with him, but Sam’s persistence was starting to chip away at Josh’s stubbornness. For half a second, Josh wondered if Sam would look even prettier in his bed, or if it was even possible for him to look better than he already did. Josh cleared his throat and shook his head. Sam hadn’t even graduated yet. Though their age difference couldn’t have been more than three or four years at the most, but he didn’t want to be that weird law student that went around picking up undergraduates. 

“You still haven’t given me much of a tour,” Sam said, snapping Josh out of his silent conversation.

Josh forced himself to swallow. “You saw buildings.”

“Lots of buildings. And some trees. Very nice trees.” He smiled. “You’re an awful tour guide.”

“I wouldn’t be complaining if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“I could just abandon you here. Leave you to wander by yourself for all eternity.”

Sam laughed quietly. “I think I could find my way back to the parking lot.”

“Won’t your friends be looking for you?”

“Nah, they know I like to wander.” He shrugged. “As long as I manage to track them down before they leave tonight, I should be fine.”

There seemed to be something tied into that sentence. Josh didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he was kind of starting to. He wasn’t the most adept at flirting, not by a long shot, but based on this conversation, he was pretty sure that Sam might be a little bit into him. What other reason would a guy from Princeton have for tagging along with a Yale law student? Josh wished he wasn’t quite so awkward when it came to stuff like this, but it wasn’t exactly his fault. It wasn’t like he had a ton of opportunities to practice flirting with guys; the last time he could remember actually _flirting_ with someone was at prom, senior year, with a girl that he couldn’t even remember the name of now. It had been that year that he had realized it was pretty much hopeless to even attempt to be into girls. Even in college, being gay was a taboo subject, and Josh had kept mostly to himself. Beyond a few drunk hookups that never led to anything, he had been incredibly lonely over the past few years. He found himself feeling slightly jealous of Sam’s confidence when it came to (what Josh assumed was, in fact) flirting. He found himself slightly annoyed that if it was flirting, it was working.

“Hey, you still with me?” Sam asked, waving his hand in front of Josh’s face. Josh snapped out of his thoughts, blinking quickly and shaking his head.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly.

“You’re fine.” Sam examined him curiously for a second. Josh was pretty sure he heard wrong when Sam followed that up with, “You wanna get coffee or something?”

It took a moment for Josh’s thoughts to settle down enough for him to come up with an answer. He opened his mouth before the words actually wanted to come out, so he nodded instead while he took an extra beat to remember how to speak. “Yeah. Sure.”

Sam smiled brightly. “Alright, well, I have no idea where I’m going, so…”

“Right.” Josh nodded quickly. “Yeah. There’s, ah, a place pretty close to here.”

“Lead the way, Ivy League.” Sam winked at him.

Josh ignored the warmth in his cheeks and the annoying fluttering in his stomach as he led Sam down the sidewalk towards the coffee shop. Silence fell over them again, but it was just slightly less awkward this time. The lack of awkwardness, of course, was made up for with a new, underlying tension. Josh shifted his backpack straps again, tugging at them and tightening them all the way before returning them to their original state.

The coffee shop was a few streets off of campus, but it was close enough that it was pretty much continuously populated by students, usually with either a small group of friends or a giant stack of books and at least three empty cups in front of them. It was emptier than usual (Josh guessed because of the game), and he dropped his bag at a table near the window before walking up to the counter. He ordered himself a cup of black coffee and stood off to the side while he waited for it. Sam stepped up to place his order after him, smiling charmingly at the cashier as he chatted with her. Josh almost wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to, because as irritated as he was by Sam, he had a really nice smile.

Once they each had their drinks, they sat down at their table by the window. Sam stirred a few spoonfuls of sugar into his tea, watching the whirlpool that formed. Josh glanced out the window. A few people hurried past, most wearing Yale sweatshirts, on their way to the stadium.

“Why Yale?” Sam asked suddenly.

Josh glanced towards him. “Hm?”

“You already went to Harvard. One Ivy League wasn’t enough for you?” He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his cup to his mouth.

Josh shrugged. “It’s a good school.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Sam laughed quietly. “But what kind of a person goes to Harvard _and_ Yale?”

“Me.”

“You’re not very conversational, are you?”

He picked up his cup and blew across the coffee before taking a sip. “I’m, ah, not really used to… I don’t do this a lot.”

“What, go out for coffee?”

“No.”

“Huh.” Sam leaned back in his seat and examined Josh carefully. “Seems like you’d be getting asked out all the time, if you ask me.”

Josh’s cheeks got warm again, and he ducked his head, looking down into his drink. _Getting asked out._ So Sam had been asking him out. Which made this a date. A date. Josh was pretty sure. If someone asked you out, that made the outing a date, right? He kind of wanted to ask, just to make sure, but that seemed indescribably lame.

“Well, I’m not,” he said instead. “I don’t really get out all that often.” He had his friends, sure, but dating wasn’t really his _thing_. In general, he regarding it was something he just didn’t have time for (but then again, if a guy had ever actually asked him out before, he probably would have found a way to make time). “What about you? Not gonna go to another Ivy for law school?”

Sam shook his head. “Probably not. It was stressful enough just getting into Princeton. I thought I was going to go insane waiting for my decision letter. I’ll probably just go to whoever accepts me, honestly.”

“That’s not going to be a short list.”

“I appreciate your confidence in me.”

“You go to Princeton. They’ll have a hard time saying no.”

“Thanks.” Sam smiled. “It depends where I want to end up, too. Might stay on the east coast, might go somewhere a bit closer to home.”

“Where’s home?”

“California.”

Josh’s eyebrows raised. “Okay, damn. I guess I should’ve guessed that.”

“Why’s that?”

“You look like a California boy.”

“Is that an insult?”

“If you take it as one, I guess it is.”

Sam narrowed his eyes, but then smiled again. Josh’s heart sped up, and he shifted in his seat. Sam took another sip of his tea. “What about you? Where are you from?”

“Here. Well, not _here_ here. Westport.”

“I think we passed a couple signs for there on our drive here.”

Josh nodded. “Yeah. It’s a little less than an hour from here.”

“You’re close to home, then.”

He nodded again. “My mom’s a little overprotective. She thought even Harvard was too far away. Gives her some peace of mind that I can come home whenever I need to.” Not that he had been home that often; he hadn’t even moved out of his apartment over the summer. There were times he wished he had gone much farther away from his hometown for school, but he had carved out a nice little niche for himself in New Haven.

Sam’s smile dropped a bit. “My parents really didn’t care how far away I went.”

“Which is how you ended up on the opposite coast?”

“Pretty much.”

“You made the right choice, if you ask me. The east coast is a thousand times better.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Is it now? Where are all your gorgeous sandy beaches then? And why am I fucking freezing my ass off?”

“Because Californians aren’t adapted to real weather,” Josh replied matter-of-factly.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. “East coasters are insufferable.”

“Takes one to know one.”

Josh lost track of how long they sat there talking and finishing their drinks. By the time he got to the bottom of his cup, the coffee was cold. They finished at about the same time. Sam bit his bottom lip as he stared at Josh, as if he was waiting for something. Josh glanced out the window. It was dark then, the sidewalk illuminated by the yellow glow of streetlights. He checked his watch. Sam had missed the start of the football game by a while.

“Did you want to catch the second half of the game?” he asked, looking back to Sam.

“Are you coming with?”

He shook his head. “I was just gonna head back to my apartment.”

Sam shrugged. “I already missed a lot of it. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in the first place.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“So.”

“So,” Sam echoed, quirking an eyebrow. “I don’t think you’ve shown me all of campus, honestly.”

“Are you a prospective student?”

“Maybe.”

“I thought you said you don’t want to go to another Ivy League.”

“I could always change my mind.”

Josh got to his feet and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Yeah, fine. Let’s go, Princeton.”

Sam followed suit, a smile on his lips. They left the coffee shop, the bell above the door ringing as Sam pulled it open for Josh. Josh’s cheeks heated up _again_ , and he really, really wished that something as simple as Sam opening the door didn’t cause such a reaction. They walked side by side down the sidewalk. Every few steps, Sam’s shoulder would brush against Josh’s upper arm. The first couple of times, Josh had to fight the urge to jump away, but the more it happened, the more he realized that he wanted it to happen again.

Josh actually managed to point out which buildings were which this time around, and Sam seemed to be genuinely interested in what he was saying, even though Josh’s knowledge of the history of the campus was significantly lacking. He was all but making stuff up, relying on the signs above the entrances of each building when the name of the hall slipped his mind. If Sam noticed how bad of a tour guide Josh still was, he didn’t comment on it.

They ended up near the football stadium; Josh could hear the cheering of the crowd inside. Sam checked his watch.

“It should be over soon, right?”

Josh shrugged. “I dunno. Depends on the score, I guess.”

“I should probably wait for my friends, then. It’s getting late.”

He nodded. “Yeah, sure.” Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he added, “I, uh… I’m sorry for being an ass, by the way. I had a nice time.”

Sam smiled. “Me too. Glad I ran into you.”

Josh returned his smile. “So, I’ll, ah…” He was about to finish it with _see you around_ , but that wasn’t exactly true. For some reason, he felt disappointed by that fact. “If you ever visit campus again…”

“I’ll track you down somehow.”

“Sure.”

Josh smiled one last time before turning away from Sam. He only managed to get about ten feet away when he cursed under his breath and turned back around. Sam was walking towards the stadium, and Josh broke into a quick jog to catch up with him. Sam heard him approaching and glanced back over his shoulder, stopping when he realized it was still Josh.

“Do you…” Josh ran a hand through his hair. “If you want, you could — I mean, we could… um.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to come over?” he finally managed to force out. Sam’s lips parted in surprise. Josh hadn’t noticed how nice his lips were until that moment. They were nice and pink and looked soft, and Josh wondered if Sam was as good at kissing as he looked like he should be. When Sam didn’t answer for a moment, Josh quickly stammered, “Not that — you don’t have to, obviously, just, ah, if you wanted to, you know… I have — my apartment is nearby, and I thought maybe—unless I’m reading this wrong, and if I am, I’m—”

Sam cut him off with a laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, no, I want to come over.”

Josh grinned, relief washing over him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I should — I should check in with my friends first, though, so they don’t call the cops saying I’ve been murdered.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Sam smiled at him, soft and maybe (though Josh was probably just getting his hopes up) a little suggestive. He pulled at the sleeves of his sweatshirt, and Josh’s eyes were drawn back to the bright orange letters. It was an obnoxious color, really, but he thought that Sam wouldn’t look all that bad even if he was decked out head-to-toe in it. Sam seemed like the kind of lucky bastard that would wear anything and still look good.

They didn’t say much after that, waiting for the game to end. Luck was on their side, because it was only ten or fifteen minutes before they heard loud cheering from inside the stadium. A few moments later, the crowd started streaming out the exits. Sam pulled what would have been his ticket out of his pocket to check which gate his friends would be coming out of, then led Josh through the mob. He spotted his friends across a group of girls in Yale t-shirts and called out to them. Josh hung back as Sam hurried over to explain the situation to his friends.

“We’re good,” Sam said as he approached, giving Josh a thumbs up. “They’re heading back home tonight, but I told them I’d find a way home.”

Josh nodded. “What’d they say?”

“They told me to have fun.” Sam winked at him, and Josh’s cheeks flushed. Sam nudged his arm, and they started walking again, following the flow of the crowd until it started to disperse, small groups of people going their own way back to their dorms or apartments or cars.

Josh couldn’t remember the last time that he had brought anyone to his apartment. He was lucky not to have a roommate, he knew; scholarships and financial aid had done enough at Harvard that he had enough money left over from his parents’ contributions and his summer jobs to rent his own place while at school. It wasn’t a huge apartment, just one bedroom and bathroom, but it wasn’t like he needed any more than that. The kitchen was small, too, but he didn’t do a lot of cooking, and the microwave worked just fine.

The situation didn’t fully hit him until they were standing in his living room. He wasn’t quite sure of what his next move was supposed to be. He had invited Sam back, sure, but he had no idea if they were actually on the same page with what they expected to happen.

“Am I — is this weird?” he asked, shifting his weight back and forth.

Sam tilted his head. “…no?”

“Just, I don’t know, I…” Josh ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t — I wasn’t gonna ask you, because I didn’t want to be that weird older guy that, like, preys on younger students, and—”

“Josh.” Sam laughed. “You think you’re _preying_ on me?” He stepped closer, and Josh’s breath hitched. “I’m not some blushing nineteen-year-old virgin. Besides, I was literally flirting with you from the start. Took you long enough to notice.” He slid his hands over Josh’s shoulders, then wrapped his arms around Josh’s neck, linking his fingers together behind Josh’s head. His face was extremely close to Josh’s, his bright blue eyes and pretty pink lips just inches away. Josh pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’ve done this before. You’re fine.”

Josh’s lips parted. “I didn’t — I didn’t mean _that_ , I don’t…”

“Josh?”

Josh liked it when Sam said his name.

“Yeah?”

“Stop overthinking this.”

“Sorry.”

Sam rolled his eyes good-naturedly, then leaned in and pressed his lips against Josh’s in a surprisingly soft kiss. Josh settled his hands on Sam’s waist, finding his hipbones hidden beneath the two layers of fabric. Sam moved his mouth slowly against Josh’s, and yeah, he was just as good at kissing as Josh guessed he would be. Sam slipped his fingers into Josh’s hair. Josh had been planning on getting a haircut soon, but as soon as Sam’s fingers found purchase in the longer curls, he changed his mind.

Sam pulled back after a moment, and Josh chased the contact. When he opened his eyes, Sam was smirking at him. A low whine escaped Josh’s throat, and he thought he saw a flash of something cross Sam’s expression. Sam leaned back in and pressed a teasing kiss to the corner of his mouth. He dropped his hands down and tugged at the bottom hem of Josh’s sweatshirt. Josh eagerly stepped away for a second to pull it over his head and toss it onto the couch.

“I don’t usually allow Princeton merchandise in my apartment, you know,” he said, giving a pointed look to Sam’s chest. Sam laughed and tugged off his own sweatshirt. “Much better.”

Sam grabbed the fabric of Josh’s t-shirt in his fist and pulled him back in to kiss him again. Josh’s hands found their way back to Sam’s hips. He hiked up the bottom of Sam’s shirt to touch his skin, and he felt Sam shiver. His skin was warm against Josh’s cold hands. Josh traced small circles with his thumb over Sam’s hipbone, then slid his hands around to Sam’s back. He ran his fingers over the bumps of Sam’s spine. Sam stepped closer, pressing his chest flush against Josh’s. In a rare act of bravery, Josh slipped his hands into the back pockets of Sam’s jeans, tugging him even closer. Sam let out a soft noise in surprise, but it was quickly muffled by Josh’s lips.

“Bedroom?” Sam asked quickly. Josh nodded and hooked his finger in Sam’s belt loop, pulling him down the hallway and into his room.

Sam let Josh drag him towards the bed, then wrapped his hand around Josh’s wrist and spun him around towards him, pulling him in for another kiss. Josh smiled against his lips. Sam nudged him back onto the mattress, then pushed at his chest until he laid down. He leaned over Josh, holding himself up a few inches above him, then kissed him sweetly.

“Good?”

Josh nodded. “Very.”

“You’re — this is good?” He brushed a hand through Josh’s hair, and Josh’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned up into Sam’s touch. When he opened them again, Sam was smiling softly at him. Josh’s cheeks flushed, and he looked away. Sam turned Josh’s face back toward him. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Good?” he asked again.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” _Great, even._

Sam nodded. “Good.”

He leaned in to kiss Josh again, with more purpose this time, and the thought crossed Josh’s mind that he had been extremely lucky that Sam had crashed into him, that Sam had goaded him into dragging him across campus — that he would be okay with doing whatever Sam wanted for the rest of his life.

—————————

Sam stretched out leisurely next to Josh. Josh couldn’t resist reaching over to run his hand down Sam’s side. Sam glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and smiled, then rolled onto his side and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“I don’t usually do this,” Josh murmured. “Stuff like this. Not my thing.”

“I’m glad you did this time.” Sam tucked a strand of hair behind Josh’s ear. “Worked out very well for me.”

Josh laughed softly and kissed Sam again. He couldn’t help himself; Sam’s lips were too soft and warm and pink to _not_ kiss every chance he got. “You’re lucky I didn’t just ignore your annoying ass and go to the library anyway.”

Sam smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. “Fat chance. I’m irresistible.”

“And so, so humble.”

“I know.” He skipped his fingers across Josh’s shoulder, then down his side. Josh shivered and shifted closer to Sam. “And to think, you almost didn’t want to sleep with me.”

Josh rolled his eyes. “You certainly had your work cut out for you, Princeton.”

“Clearly there’s no one good enough at Yale for you. So, I rest my case: Princeton is superior.”

“Oh my god,” he groaned. “Seriously, you’re choosing you bring up the rivalry _now_?”

“Good as time as any, I think.” He wrapped his arm around Josh and pulled him in closer, kissing him firmly. Josh whined against his lips. Sam pulled back and kissed the corner of his mouth. “And you’re the one who brought the enemy back to your apartment.”

“You initiated it,” Josh argued.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Did I, though?”

“Yes,” Josh huffed, leaning back in. Sam moved his head, and Josh let out a soft, frustrated groan.

“You’re needy.”

“You’re annoying.”

He laughed. “And _whiny_.”

“Kiss me.”

“I don’t think I will.”

“Asshole.”

Sam grinned and leaned in, bringing his lips agonizingly close to Josh’s. He brushed a kiss near Josh’s mouth, but not actually on it, and Josh whined again. Sam kissed along his jaw, then down his neck to his collarbone, tracing back over the red marks he had left there. Josh tried to move closer, but Sam tightened his grip on his hip. Josh huffed. Sam nipped lightly at his collarbone, and Josh gasped softly.

“Asshole,” he repeated.

Sam looked up at him with a wicked gleam in his eye. If he wasn’t so goddamn hot, his cockiness would have been annoying. But he was gorgeous, and he knew it, too. He rolled over and lifted himself on top of Josh, holding himself up with a hand on either side of Josh’s head, pressing down into the pillow. Josh did his best to glare up at him, but he didn’t think it was the least bit intimidating. Sam smiled and lowered himself down enough to kiss the tip of Josh’s nose.

“You’re cute when you’re annoyed,” he murmured. Josh’s cheeks went red, and he looked away. 

He didn’t think anyone had ever called him _cute_ before. For a second, it irritated him, but coming from Sam, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud. It had barely crossed his mind that Sam was younger than him; if he didn’t know any better, he would have guessed that Sam was a law student already, not an undergrad. Josh _wished_ he was a law student (and a Yale law student). If the rest of the guys in Josh’s classes were as gorgeous as Sam was, he wouldn’t spend nearly as much time studying by himself — except that he definitely would never have the balls to ask anyone out ever. This night had been a fluke. Sam thinking he was cute, that had to be a fluke, too. But he was okay with Sam saying it, even if it wasn’t true.

Sam murmured his name, and Josh glanced back up to meet his eyes. Sam smiled and leaned down, finally pressing his lips against Josh’s again. Josh tangled his fingers in Sam’s hair and tugged him in closer, flicking his tongue across Sam’s bottom lip. Sam made a small noise, low in his throat, and Josh nearly puffed out his chest.

They stayed like that, for how long, Josh wasn’t sure. It was nearly pitch dark in his bedroom, just the faint light of the streetlamp outside casting dark gray shadows across the walls, but his eyes had adjusted enough that he could make out almost every detail of Sam’s face. When Sam’s arms eventually almost gave out, he rolled off of Josh and onto his side, still facing him. Josh moved closer to kiss him again. He was pretty sure he could kiss Sam forever. Sam didn’t seem to agree with that, though, because after a while, he pulled back and rested his head on the pillow. Josh opened his eyes to look at him. Sam was smiling softly. He brushed his thumb over Josh’s cheek, and Josh leaned into his touch.

“You know,” Sam murmured thoughtfully, “I don’t think you even told me your last name.”

Josh furrowed his eyebrows, surprised by the sudden shift in conversation. “Didn’t seem like you have much of a use for knowing it.”

“In case I wanted to track you down in a phone book. Or else we could have been separated forever, with just a brief chance encounter to dwell on for the rest of our lives.”

Josh snorted. “You’re something else.”

“Yeah.” Sam smiled. He poked Josh’s cheek. “So, what is it?”

“What?”

“Your last name, stupid.”

“Lyman.”

Sam pursed his lips and tilted his head. “Lyman. Josh Lyman.”

Josh nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“I like it.”

“You can thank my dad for that, then.”

“Josh Lyman. It sounds like a name that people would know.”

“What do you mean?”

Sam shrugged. “I dunno. Just does. Like…” He thought for a second. “Like you’re going to be someone important one day.”

Josh laughed quietly. “Yeah, sure. More than likely I’m gonna end up a third-rate injury lawyer in the middle of nowhere.”

“We’ll see.”

“What’s your last name, then?”

“Seaborn.”

Sam Seaborn. It was nice alliteration. Josh repeated it a few times. Sam gave him an amused look, and Josh smiled sheepishly. “Your parents are good at naming. It sounds good together.”

“Not so good. Bet you can’t guess my middle name.”

“Are you Christian?”

He shook his head, then paused. “Kind of? My parents both grew up Christian.”

“Thomas.”

“Nope.”

“Peter?” Sam shook his head again. “Paul?” Another no.

“You’re never gonna guess it.”

“So tell me.”

“Norman.”

Josh let out a choked laugh. “Sam Norman Seaborn.”

“Sam _uel_ ,” Sam corrected. “Samuel Norman Seaborn.”

“You know, I think I like that more than any of the other names.”

“What’s your middle name?”

Josh shrugged. “Don’t have one. It’s just Josh.”

“Just Josh.”

“Joshua, technically, but the only person who ever called me that was my grandfather.”

“Joshua.” Sam smiled. “You’re a good Joshua.”

Josh narrowed his eyes. “Call me Joshua again, and I’ll cut your dick off.”

“Okay, Joshua.”

“You little shit.” Josh tackled him, and Sam shouted in surprise as he was thrown onto his back. He pushed against Josh, wrapping his hands around Josh’s wrists. They wrestled for a minute, the sheets tangling around them, before Sam managed to flip Josh onto his back and pin him down, holding his wrists against the mattress. They stared at each other, chests heaving. Sam leaned in and kissed Josh firmly, with more purpose this time. Against his will, Josh moaned softly. He felt Sam smile against his lips.

Sam pulled back and pressed a burning kiss beneath Josh’s ear. Josh shivered, goosebumps covering his arms. “You’re cute when you’re annoyed, but you’re absolutely gorgeous like this,” Sam murmured.

“Shut up,” Josh muttered, cheeks flushing.

“Why?”

“Just — shut up.”

Sam kissed the corner of his mouth. “No, I don’t think I will.”

It felt strange for Sam to be calling him gorgeous when Sam looked like _that_. In comparison to Sam, few people on Earth would look gorgeous. He was all lean muscle and smooth, tan skin and warm touches and bright smiles. He was the epitome of a pretty west coast boy, and Josh wasn’t sure if the twisting in his gut was due to attraction or due to jealousy.

“Hey,” Sam said softly. “You alright?”

Josh nodded. “Fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“I’m good.”

Sam leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Josh’s shoulder. “Josh, you’re gorgeous, alright?” Josh shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t usually sleep with people who aren’t gorgeous.”

Josh shook his head. “Sam…”

“Hey.” He kissed Josh’s lips, then focused his gaze on Josh’s, blue eyes intense. “You’re hot, got it? I don’t care what you think. We all hate ourselves. But believe me, from where I am, you’re fucking _breathtaking_. There’s a reason I ran into you.”

Josh furrowed his eyebrows. “You bumped into me.”

“I know it’s hard to imagine, but I am not naturally that clumsy.” Sam smiled.

“What?”

He kissed Josh briefly, and Josh thought that Sam might be blushing a tiny bit, but it was hard to tell. “I, uh, kind of ran into you on purpose.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’m serious! I — I wasn’t lying about the whole wandering off thing. I wanted to explore the campus a little bit. But then I saw you, and I had to think of some way to talk to you.”

“You couldn’t have just said _hi_? You had to throw all of my books on the ground?”

Sam made a face. “I didn’t throw your books. Shut up.”

“May as well have.”

“Fuck off.” He smiled and kissed Josh’s cheek.

“You ran into me on purpose.”

“Yes.”

“You are terrible at flirting.”

Sam quirked an eyebrow. “It worked, though, didn’t it?”

The corner of Josh’s mouth twitched up. “Yeah, I guess it did. Congrats.”

“Thank you. I do work _so_ hard to get laid.”

Josh laughed. “You’re a dumbass.”

“On occasion,” Sam agreed, kissing Josh again. 

Josh wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck, pulling him down closer. Sam bit at his bottom lip. Josh whined and followed the kiss as Sam pulled back slightly. He felt Sam smile, apparently pleased with himself. Josh huffed and, catching Sam by surprise, flipped them over and straddled Sam’s hips, managing to accomplish it much more gracefully than he had anticipated. Sam raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Josh. Josh leaned in to kiss him quickly before dropping his head to kiss down his neck. Sam tilted his head up to give Josh better access, letting out quiet, encouraging noises as Josh teasingly ghosted his lips over his skin. Sam grabbed onto Josh’s hips, gripping tightly enough that Josh thought there might be fingerprint-sized bruises on his skin the next morning.

“Josh,” Sam whined as Josh left a deep red mark on his collarbone. Josh lifted his head to look at Sam. Sam brought his hand up to tangle his fingers in Josh’s hair and tug him up for a deep kiss, bordering on desperate. He trailed his other hand up Josh’s side, fingers brushing lightly across Josh’s skin. Josh shivered and rolled his hips down against Sam’s, who groaned and lifted his hips to meet Josh’s. Josh pulled away to catch his breath, and Sam kissed his jaw and murmured, “ _Please_ tell me you’re ready for round two. Jesus Christ.”

Josh laughed softly. “I dunno. It’s kinda fun to torture you.”

“You’re cruel.”

Josh hummed in agreement. “Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” Sam kissed him softly. “Please.”

“Please what, Seaborn?”

“Fuck you.”

“That’s not very nice.” Josh raised an eyebrow.

“Please,” Sam whined as Josh kissed down his neck again. “Please let me fuck you. Josh, come _on_.”

“What am I getting out of it?”

Sam groaned in frustration, pushing up against Josh, but Josh refused to be moved. Sam huffed, shifting underneath Josh’s weight. Josh’s breath hitched, and he bit back a moan. Sam seemed to catch on anyway, though, and the corner of his mouth quirked up.

“Please?” he repeated, brushing his fingers over Josh’s skin.

Finally relenting, Josh nodded, and Sam grinned victoriously. He tried again to flip their positions, and this time, Josh let him, falling onto his back on the mattress and moaning softly as Sam’s mouth found its place back on his skin.

Any reservations Josh had beforehand, when Sam first collided with him and seemed to be doing his absolute best to get on Josh’s last nerve, any annoyance Sam caused by following him across campus, had flown out the window as soon as Sam had kissed him for the first time. Now, Josh couldn’t help but crave _more_ , doing his best to get as much of himself in contact with Sam as possible. He didn’t want Sam to stop kissing him, to stop tracing his fingers teasingly lightly over Josh’s skin, to stop murmuring his name as if he was saying a prayer.

He told Sam as much, breathing out, “Don’t stop.”

Sam pulled back for just long enough to murmur, “Wouldn’t dream of it,” and then his lips were back on Josh’s, and Josh thought he might have been in heaven.

———————————————————

Josh had never realized how nice it would be to wake up next to someone else. The bed was comfortably warm, bordering on hot, but he had no desire to let any of the heat out from underneath the covers. Sam was still deeply asleep, his chest moving up and down steadily. Josh cuddled in closer to Sam’s side, and Sam’s arm subconsciously tightened around him. Josh smiled tiredly and kissed Sam’s shoulder. Sam made a soft noise and turned his head towards him.

He glanced at the clock. It was later than he would have liked to sleep, considering all of the work he had to get done, but he guessed he could make an exception just this once. The library would still be open later; he had plenty of time to work on his essay. Who knew when he was going to get the chance to be in bed with Sam again? He wanted to take advantage of as much of this time as possible.

A few minutes later, Sam started shifting back and forth as he slowly came back to consciousness. His arm tightened around Josh again. Josh cuddled in even closer, nosing at Sam’s collarbone before kissing his skin lightly. Sam yawned widely and peeked open one eye.

“Morning,” he mumbled. His raspy morning voice sent shivers down Josh’s spine.

“Hi.” Josh smiled. Sam ran a hand through his hair as he fully opened his eyes. Josh was once again blown away by just how blue they were.

“What time ‘sit?” Sam asked.

“Little past ten.”

Sam nodded. “Sleep well?”

“Very.”

“Good.” he brushed Josh’s hair away from his forehead. Josh’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into Sam’s touch. Sam scratched lightly at Josh’s scalp, then kissed his temple. “Your bed is comfy.”

“Better be. Think it was the most expensive thing in this apartment.”

Sam hummed. “Worth every penny.”

Josh lifted his head and kissed the corner of Sam’s mouth, wary of morning breath. Sam gave him a soft smile, eyes still clouded with sleep. Josh wouldn’t mind waking up to that image every single day of his life. He bit his lip and dropped his head back down onto the pillow. It was stupid. It was just a hookup. Sam had to get back to Princeton, and chances were they were never going to speak again. Josh just had to be the idiot that caught feelings for the first guy that was into him. It was going to mean absolutely nothing to Sam, and Sam was going to go back to Princeton and never think about him again. There was a sour taste in his mouth.

“Hey, you alright?” Sam asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

“You have an awful poker face, you know.”

Josh sighed. “It’s stupid stuff. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“C’mon, Joshua.” He poked Josh’s chest.

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He wasn’t sure if Sam’s persistence was endearing for annoying. He opted to think of it as endearing for the time being. He avoided Sam’s gaze as he said, “I had a really good time.”

“So did I.”

“I guess you have to go back now though, right?”

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you _want_ me to go back?” Josh swallowed and shook his head slowly. A smile made its way onto Sam’s lips, and he kissed Josh’s forehead. “Good, ‘cause I don’t really want to leave.”

Josh looked up at him. “Really?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Josh, for someone who’s obviously very, very smart, you’re pretty dense.”

“Sorry?”

“You’re fucking adorable when you’re confused.” Sam pecked his lips. “Really, I don’t want to leave. I’m pretty happy where I am for the moment.” He squeezed his arm tighter around Josh. “However, unfortunately I _do_ have classes tomorrow, so I have to leave at some point today.”

“Skip.”

Sam laughed. “I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to skip class, Lyman.”

“You seem like the kind of guy who skips.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re kidding.” Josh shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve missed a single class my entire college career. One time, I had the flu, and I still went because I had to give a presentation. Almost passed out in front of the entire class. Professor had to basically force me to leave.”

Josh shook his head incredulously, then grinned. “Oh my god, you’re a nerd!”

Sam laughed and punched his arm. “Fuck off.”

“Nerd.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Ivy League.”

“I like that you call me Ivy League even though _you go to Princeton_.”

Sam shrugged. “Didn’t go to two Ivies.”

“You’re not in law school yet. You still could.”

Sam hummed in agreement. “Maybe I will come to Yale.”

“It’s a very good school.” Josh nudged him lightly. “I don’t think you even told me when you graduate, though.”

“Next year. I’m a junior.”

“God, you’re a _baby_.” Sam certainly didn’t seem that young. He did have a sort of boyish charm about him, but Josh wouldn’t have placed him as a junior.

“Fuck off.”

Josh grinned. “You’re angry because you’re a baby, aren’t you?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to remind you that I fucked you within an inch of your life —   _twice_ —  less than twelve hours ago?”

Josh’s entire face went warm. “Shut up.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Baby,” Josh muttered.

Sam whacked his shoulder just hard enough to hurt. Josh made a face at him, and Sam laughed softly. He ran a hand through Josh’s hair. “Am I gonna catch you?”

Josh shook his head. “This is my last year.”

Sam pouted slightly. “So then it’s not even worth it to come here.”

“You would come here because of me?”

“I wouldn’t _not_ come here because of you.”

“Do they teach you a special course on double negatives at Princeton?”

“They don’t not.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Sam grinned. “I’m insufferably charming.”

Josh shook his head. Sam leaned in and kissed his jaw lightly, then worked his way down Josh’s neck to his collarbone. The marks he had left the night before were dark red now, bordering on purple. Usually, Josh would have thought hickeys were extremely juvenile, but something about the idea of Sam leaving marks on his skin sent sparks through his body. As if he could sense that, Sam bit at Josh’s chest. Josh whined, grabbing at Sam’s hair.

“Ouch, asshole.”

Sam glanced up at him. “You’re into it.”

“Fuck off.” 

Sam shrugged and nipped at the same spot. Josh shuddered and tugged Sam’s hair tightly. Sam set to work leaving another mark on Josh’s skin. Josh laid back, shifting slightly to get comfortable. Sam grabbed his hip and held him down. Josh rolled his eyes and stayed still until Sam was satisfied with his work.

“Hope you weren’t planning on going shirtless around anyone else anytime soon.”

“Wasn’t on the agenda, to be honest.”

“Good.” Sam smiled. “Those should last a while.”

“Maybe you should come back to make sure they stay,” Josh said, surprising himself with his boldness. Sam looked at him, eyebrows raised. Josh blushed. “I mean—”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Yeah?”

“Lots of my friends have cars. And several of them owe me favors. It’s not that bad of a drive.”

Josh nodded, excitement bubbling in his chest. “Okay, yeah. Yeah.”

Sam grinned. “One more thing.”

“Hm?”

“Please tell me you have an extra toothbrush. I really, really want to kiss you, but morning breath is fucking disgusting.”

He nodded and rolled over towards the edge of the bed. Before he could sit up, though, Sam wrapped an arm around his waist, holding him down on the mattress. He kissed Josh’s shoulder lightly, then brushed his lips over the back of Josh’s neck. Josh shivered and glanced back at Sam.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re too pretty not to kiss.”

“Shut up.”

“You don’t like compliments, huh?”

Josh shrugged. “I’m just — I’m not really used to them, I guess.”

“Lucky for you that I am a _master_ at giving compliments, then. I’ll get you used to them real fast.” He released his grip on Josh, who got to his feet. He stretched his arms out before walking to the bathroom to find one of the new toothbrushes he knew he had somewhere. As he was rummaging through the cabinet under the sink, he heard footsteps approaching. Sam leaned against the doorframe, wearing a pair of Josh’s boxers (Josh couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed about Sam going through his drawers, not with how the fabric fell on his thighs). Josh’s cheeks went red, and he muttered something under his breath.

Sam walked into the bathroom. Josh straightened up, and Sam slipped an arm around his waist, kissing the back of his neck again.

“I don’t usually spend this long at people’s places,” he murmured against Josh’s skin.

“What, does that make me special?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Sam smiled. Josh handed a new toothbrush to Sam. They took turns brushing their teeth in front of the sink. As soon as Josh set his toothbrush down, Sam pulled him in and kissed him firmly. Josh made a noise in surprise but returned the kiss eagerly. Sam pulled away and rested his forehead against Josh’s. “You know,” he mused, “I could really use a shower.”

Josh snorted. “You know,” he mimicked, “I hear sharing a shower is actually terribly inefficient.”

“You ever tried it?”

He bit his lip. “…no.”

“Worth a shot, then.” Sam grinned.

Josh rolled his eyes playfully. Sam winked and nudged Josh towards the shower, then tugged the boxers off. Josh wasn’t quite sure his brain had caught up to what was happening with the whole thing. Sam was genuinely into him, somehow. Sam had spent the night, was now, apparently, spending the morning at Josh’s place. Sam wanted to have sex with him — multiple times. Josh felt, overall, stunned. He definitely wasn’t complaining, though. If some higher power had decided to send him an angel in the form of an arrogant, overconfident, gorgeous human being, Josh had absolutely no problem with that whatsoever.

———————————————————

“I can drive you,” Josh offered for the third time.

Sam shook his head. “I really appreciate it, but I’m not forcing you to make a six-hour round trip on a Sunday night. I can get back fine on my own. I’ve taken buses before.”

If Josh was honest, he wouldn’t at all mind a six-hour round trip, considering it would mean three extra hours with Sam. But he also had a lot of work to catch up on for his Monday classes, so, admittedly, it wasn’t a great idea to drive to New Jersey and back.

“Fine,” he muttered.

Sam smiled and kissed him softly. “I’ll come back and visit in a couple weeks, okay?”

“Okay.” Josh nodded. “Call me when you get back, though. I would feel really guilty if you died on your way back.”

Sam snorted. “You’re something else, Joshua.”

“Yeah, I really am quite something.” Josh kissed him quickly. “If you don’t call, I’ll assume you’re dead.”

Sam held up the paper with Josh’s number on it, then slipped it safely into his pocket. Just like he had refused Josh’s offer of a lift home, he had also refused to take an entire fresh set of clothes and was rewearing his jeans and t-shirt from the previous day. However, at some point after they had showered, he had pulled on one of Josh’s sweaters, and he seemed pretty determined to keep it. Josh was just slightly bigger than Sam, and while it wasn’t that noticeable, his clothes were a little big on Sam’s frame. It was, to put it frankly, adorable. Josh didn’t think he would mind if Sam stole every single sweater he owned.

“I really have to go,” Sam murmured, but he wrapped his arms around Josh’s waist and kissed him anyway. Josh tangled his fingers in Sam’s hair as he kissed back. He whined softly when Sam pulled away. “God, you are needy.”

“You were a big fan of that earlier,” Josh retorted.

“Yeah, well, I’m on a schedule now.” Sam kissed the corner of his mouth before stepping back. “Do your homework, slacker.”

Josh stuck his tongue out. Sam raised an eyebrow. Josh leaned in to sneak one more kiss, then opened the door for Sam. “Call me when you get back,” he said again.

“Yes, sir.” Sam mock-saluted. “I’ll let you know when I have a weekend free. I’ll drive up on a Friday night. Spend a couple of nights.” He winked suggestively.

“Good.” Josh smiled, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Have a safe trip.”

“I’ll see you, Joshua.” Sam winked again, looking as if he knew exactly what he was doing, before walking away down the hall. Josh watched until he reached the stairwell and disappeared.

He shut the door and leaned his forehead against it, a stupid, goofy smile on his lips. It had been a long time since he had felt like this, and he wasn’t sure how else to describe it beyond calling it a crush. He was a grown man who almost had a law degree, and he had a _crush_. On a cocky undergrad from Princeton. God, he was an idiot. He walked back through his apartment and noticed a gray sweatshirt on the couch. He picked it up and held it in front of him.

They may have been the enemy, but if Josh wanted to wear the Princeton sweatshirt in the privacy of his own apartment because it was warm and cozy and smelled like Sam, no one else needed to know.

**Author's Note:**

> big thank you to mads and ann for helping inspire this because i love these soft baby boys x leave kudos and comments if you liked it


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